Port Antonio gets a facelift
Published:Wednesday | January 4, 2017 | 12:00 AMGareth Davis
PORT ANTONIO, Portland:
The streets of Port Antonio, Portland, which was heavily littered with commercial garbage, is now very clean, and with the impeding arrival of a cruise ship, it is obvious that the powers that be have pulled out all the stops in restoring civic pride.
Unlike last week when the garbage-littered resort town was a breeding ground for roaches and rats, with waste lying around at just about every street and corner, the miraculous transformation have received the thumbs-up in light of the hard work put in by the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA).
"I want Port Antonio to become the cleanest town on planet earth," Audley Gordon, executive director of NSWMA.
PLEASED AFTER CLEAN-UP
"Today, I am quite pleased with what I have witnessed, however it is imperative that business operators conform with the rules set by this agency by ensuring that they have a contractual arrangement with us to collect their commercial waste, which led to the eye sore and much publicity last week. There are two kinds of garbage that affects us, residential and commercial waste. The collecting of residential garbage does not attract a fee; however, commercial operators are required to pay a fee for the removal of their waste," he added.
According to Gordon, who was addressing a stakeholders meeting in the parish capital, on Tuesday, eight of the 15 businesses visited by members of his team did not have a contract with NSWMA. He urged business operators to ensure that they conform, or run the risk of issued tickets, which could result into a court matter, where one can be charged up to $1 million under the Anti-litter Act.